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18 Summer 2021 H ighlights from the ONS Construction Output in Great Britain Report June 11th reveal that new construction work is slowing down, with output falling 2.0% in April following previous growth in March (5.8%). It further reveals: 1. 2.9% decline in new work and 0.6% and repair and maintenance 2. Monthly construction fell to £13,961 in April 3. Anecdotal evidence suggests delayed projects could be responsible 4. Output stands slightly higher than pre- pandemic February 2020 5. The biggest decline has been in private housing, which fell 11.1% in April Rising costs, bottlenecks and delays in supply chains caused by Brexit and Covid-19 are starting to have a negative impact on construction projects in the UK. Supporting this, Google searches for the term ‘building shortages,’ taken from Google Trends, have seen a 158% increase in the UK between April 1st and June 22nd. Owner of building supply store Build4Less, Johnpaul Manning, said the construction industry has faced unprecedented challenges recently with Brexit, the Suez Canal and especially Covid-19 all causing signi cant disruption, in the form of delays to supply chains and projects and a drastic impact on the prices of building materials. “The latest ONS gures suggest a huge impending impact on summer building projects. It does seem like materials from every corner of the globe have been a ected in some way. Timber has seen global shortages since March 2020 and it’s now looking unlikely that any timber which hasn’t been pre-sold prior to the pandemic will make it to UK shores. Steel has faced issues since 2020, with shutdowns leading many manufacturers to play catch up. Even concrete, a core material and one that is usually quite easy to get, has been adversely a ected in ways we’ve never seen before,” he said. “With all that going on, it’s an especially di cult time for the construction industry, particularly for self-builders who don’t have a main purchaser to help with logistics and deliveries. It’s looking increasingly likely that these challenges will extend through the summer, lasting at least until the end of the year as manufacturers catch up with demand. Things are almost certainly going to get worse before they get better.” He o ered the following advice to self- builders and construction rms to help them to try and mitigate the delays and shortages on their projects. 1. Plan ahead, know in advance which materials are facing the biggest delays “This is tough, because the shortages are so widespread, but knowing in advance where the bottlenecks are will be helpful because you won’t get caught out half way through the project. Construction timber is in short supply, as not enough timber is being made to meet the world’s demands. With other countries now willing to pay more for timber, the UK has fallen further down the priority list. Likewise, steel, plastics, cement and aggregates have also started to join the list of increasingly hard Latest figures from ONS suggest that construction growth is slowing despite growth earlier in the year. OUTPUT DROPPING